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Joo-eun returned with her now-cold coffee and slumped into her seat, drained of energy.
The sweet temptation he had dangled in front of her kept replaying in her mind since morning. Hoping to clear her thoughts, she had bought a vending machine coffee—but it seemed she hadn’t taken even a single sip after seeing Chae-rin.
After sending her secretary away, the image of him standing so close, deep in conversation, lingered vividly in her mind…
The two of them facing each other looked like a scene straight out of a movie, glowing with an aura that left no room for anyone else to intrude. It was the perfect picture, exactly what the spies stationed outside the mansion might have hoped for—a “pretty cut” no one could suspect.
A sharp pang pierced her chest, as if pricked by a needle. She didn’t know why it hurt—her eyes stung, and her heart ached too.
She couldn’t bear to keep watching as he didn’t push away Chae-rin, who was smiling while smoothing his tie, and turned away instead.
The cold coffee tasted bitter.
“Wow! You won’t believe who I just saw!”
Kim Dae-ri burst into the office, eager to share the scoop.
Joo-eun already had a good idea of what he would say, so she deliberately tried to focus more on her work.
“Probably another celebrity, right? Who is it this time? An idol? An actor?”
“It’s Chae-rin! Lee Chae-rin!”
The unexpected answer startled everyone, causing them to pause their tasks.
“Chae-rin? As in that heiress… Hmm. The one rumored to be involved with our director?”
“Yes! Why did she come to the company? Are they really getting married now? Anyway… wow! I thought all those filtered photos were fake, but she’s even prettier in person. Her skin practically glows like honey—I’d understand if someone fell for her despite her being an heiress.”
“That’s not true…”
“Huh?”
“What?”
Joo-eun muttered without realizing it. Kim Dae-ri caught the faint sound and turned toward her.
“Oh, um… No, it’s nothing. I was just lost in thought. Go ahead.”
“Uh… Well, there’s nothing more to say anyway. But, Song Joo-eun… are you jealous?”
Jealousy.
Could this strange feeling she was experiencing actually be jealousy?
No, impossible. It wasn’t jealousy.
It was frustration—frustration at being caught in the middle of a lovers’ quarrel between such a perfectly matched couple. That’s all.
With effort, Joo-eun shook her head firmly.
“There’s no relationship here worth being jealous over.”
“Well… That’s true.”
Her unusually cold tone made Kim Dae-ri tense slightly.
Even Choi Gwang-jang noticed the icy atmosphere and exaggeratedly changed the subject.
“Wow… So is Director Min-hyuk finally pushing forward with marriage? All this time, it’s just been talk, and GB Group’s investment hasn’t fully materialized yet.”
“Oh, you mean that historic investment?”
“Yes, the one where they’re planning to pour a literal money bomb into DK Group. If that deal goes through, everything—DK Electronics, construction—all of it will leap up a whole level.”
“And the media division?”
“How can you even ask that? With Director Min-hyuk leading it? It’ll be a mega-hit.”
“Has the market opened yet? I’m buying 100 more shares today. Don’t try to stop me.”
“I won’t. I know you don’t even have enough to buy ten shares.”
Choi Gwang-jang’s merciless jab made Kim Dae-ri laugh awkwardly.
But Joo-eun couldn’t join in the laughter or excitement. To erase the lingering image of the two of them, she threw herself deeper into her work.
Three hours into a relay of back-to-back meetings, Jang Wook groaned in exhaustion.
“Ugh… Death from overwork is right around the corner. I don’t want to die before getting married, Director.”
“People don’t die that easily.”
Min-hyuk responded curtly without sparing him a glance.
That heartless, emotionless man.
Jang Wook’s eyes narrowed with irritation.
“You’d be surprised how many people go easily…”
“The chances of that happening to you are low.”
You, you—
He clenched his index and middle fingers tightly, suppressing the urge to stab something.
“Yes, yes. Thanks to you, Director, even dying seems difficult. So can we please make the marketing team meeting brief?”
“Fine. Song Joo-eun must be tired by now too.”
Just mentioning her brought a small smile to Min-hyuk’s lips.
“What did you just say…”
It wasn’t about himself, who had been handling the tedious meeting tasks for three hours—it was about her, Song Joo-eun.
Jang Wook’s jaw dropped.
“Call them in. Let’s start immediately.”
“Um… It’s almost 5 p.m., the hardest time for any Korean office worker… Can we take a five-minute break first, oh romantic Director?”
Despite Jang Wook’s polite request…
“I’m eager to see her. Call them in quickly.”
The response was even firmer than before.
“Whoa. I’m not ready for this blatant approach. Don’t you think it’ll make her uncomfortable?”
“Why should I consider my secretary’s feelings?”
“Of course, it’s your choice whether or not to care, but… it seems like you really don’t know much about dating.”
Jang Wook teased, sensing Min-hyuk’s curiosity despite his feigned indifference.
“Director, since this is your first time dating, you probably don’t know, but there are stages. Normal people follow them.”
“…”
“If you suddenly rush in and confess, anyone—not just Song Joo-eun—would feel flustered and instinctively pull back.”
Was he suggesting playing hard to get?
Learning about romance from Jang Wook wasn’t exactly pleasant, but Min-hyuk listened quietly out of curiosity.
“Hmm… Where do I even begin explaining? In romance, the one who’s more eager always loses. What’s the point of ‘winning’ over the person you like? Fine, lose if you must. But if you’re okay losing forever, then sure, go ahead and chase her relentlessly.”
Jang Wook crossed his legs smugly.
“Try pulling back your gaze for once. Stop staring at her today. Watch—she’ll text you. ‘Director, is something wrong?’ See? Classic move. I’m such a great teacher.”
“She’ll text me?”
Min-hyuk couldn’t help but find the idea intriguing.
His eyes unconsciously sparkled at the thought—he’d never even received a single text from her before.
“A man who acts like he’ll die without her suddenly turns cold and ignores her one day? Anyone would wonder, ‘What’s going on?’ They’ll look, only to be met with icy stares. Then comes the text—or maybe even a call.”
It sounded plausible.
He had pushed too hard, leaving no room for subtlety.
Min-hyuk deeply reflected on his past behavior.
But still… this guy—
Hadn’t he been single for three years? And hadn’t he been dumped during his last relationship?
“Alright! I’ve said enough. Got it now? Since teaching you was such hard work, can we take a ten-minute break?”
“Call her now.”
“Hey!”
His short exclamation echoed loudly through the spacious conference room.
Moments later, as soon as Jang Wook sent the message, the entire marketing team filed into the room, filling the space.
Due to seating arrangements by rank, Joo-eun ended up at the far end.
Even as a junior manager, she was still treated like the youngest. Min-hyuk’s gaze lingered on her, thinking of how tough it must have been for her.
“I should hire another employee…”
But then he shook his head.
“No, don’t pay attention. Stay cold. That’s today’s concept.”
With that resolve, he tore his gaze away from her.
“Let’s start with the new product advertisement promotion plan.”
Min-hyuk opened the discussion coldly, his eyes fixed solely on the documents.
Team Leader Gam, visibly nervous, gestured toward Choi Gwang-jang.
“Oh, yes. Choi Gwang-jang, go ahead.”
“Yes. We refined the content based on the direct target marketing idea Song Joo-eun proposed earlier. I’ll explain using the screen.”
Choi Gwang-jang projected his prepared PPT onto the screen.
Though it was just a standard mid-level report, the tension among the team members was palpable.
Was all of this Song Joo-eun’s handiwork?
Not only did she prepare the materials, but she also presented them. What a shame she wasn’t taking credit.
Min-hyuk’s thoughts drifted back to her again.
‘Calm down. Stay cold. Be professional.’
Crossing his arms, he muttered under his breath.
“This is boring.”
Choi Gwang-jang, who had been reading through the data smoothly, froze mid-sentence, cutting off his presentation.
The atmosphere turned icy.
“…Excuse me?”
“Why so much talking?”
The team members, who had been satisfied with Choi Gwang-jang’s steady delivery, now exchanged panicked glances.
Tap, tap.
Min-hyuk drummed his fingers on the table, looking weary as he closed the document.
“Why is there so much data? Are we competing in a PT contest?”
“Ah… Since this is the first time presenting the updated promotion, we tried to be as detailed as possible…”
“Why didn’t you start with Marketing 101?”
“I’m… I’m sorry.”
“Did Choi Gwang-jang create this?”
“T-the team members and I worked on it together…”
After claiming earlier that he had created the materials, Choi Gwang-jang’s sudden shift irritated Min-hyuk, his expression darkening.
“Who? Song Joo-eun?”
Dozens of heads turned simultaneously toward Joo-eun, seated at the far end.
Flustered at first, she soon composed herself and bowed her head slightly.
“Yes, I created it… I apologize. Next time, I’ll aim for brevity.”
Her concise apology, free of excuses, pleased him.
Why did her sharply raised eyes have to look so beautiful?
Though he criticized the length as a necessary critique, the truth was, the materials were exceptionally well-made.
He decided to praise her later.
Suppressing a smile, Min-hyuk furrowed his brow further to hide his emotions.
“The wasted time, manpower, and funds spent creating this cannot be resolved with a simple apology.”
“…”
“If this happens again, you won’t participate in my meetings anymore.”
Jang Wook’s jaw dropped.
He had advised Min-hyuk to stay aloof, not to be this terrifying.
Min-hyuk opened the next document.
“Next.”
“Ah… N-next. Kim Dae-ri? Go ahead and report on the overseas market promotion progress.”
“Yes!”
Kim Dae-ri rushed forward, and the PPT screen changed.
True to form, Min-hyuk fired sharp, incisive questions throughout, harshly reprimanding team members who stumbled or failed to respond.
Thirty minutes later, the meeting ended.
Unaware that their session had finished earlier than other teams, the exhausted employees shuffled out, gathering their papers.
“Song Joo-eun.”
When Min-hyuk beckoned her with a flick of his finger, everyone bolted out of the room, sensing another confrontation brewing.
As Jang Wook exited last, he shot Min-hyuk a pleading look: “Please, go easy on her, you clueless fool!”
Joo-eun approached him with a tense expression.
“Did you need to speak with me?”
Min-hyuk turned his chair toward her and asked impassively.
“Are you upset that I scolded you?”
“Of course not. I understand there were shortcomings, which is why you corrected me. I’ll work harder.”
Her crisp reply showed no trace of resentment.
It made his earlier criticism feel unjustified.
“Ha…”
He sighed deeply, running his fingers through his hair. Joo-eun’s eyes trembled faintly.
Had her work truly been so inadequate that it warranted such a sigh?
She had poured days of effort into creating those materials.
Mixed feelings of disappointment and guilt toward him tangled in her mind.
“This isn’t working. I can’t do it.”
“…What?”
Min-hyuk raised an eyebrow, looking at her bewildered expression.
“I can’t act cold toward you.”
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